A warm Welcome to Adventist Family and Friends of Gays and Lesbians!
We have designed this
section of our web site with Adventist Family and Friends in mind -- that
is mothers and fathers of gay sons and lesbian daughters or sisters and
brothers of gay siblings. And we trust that you will find some
understanding of homosexual issues here.
Homosexuality appears to
be at least as common in the Adventist church as in the general
population, and that means that in every population of 100 or so
Adventist, there will be from 2 - 5 persons struggling with issues
surrounding homosexuality. Perhaps your son or daughter, brother or sister
or even father or mother is one of these.
Most Adventists feel
confused and even devastated when they discover that one of their family
members identifies as gay. They wonder, How could this
happen in our Adventist family? And it's altogether too easy to cut off
communication with gay loved ones by doing or saying the wrong thing.
That's why we encourage you to explore this web site to gain a better
understanding of what if feels like to be have a homosexual orientation.
If you haven't had a chance to read Carrol Grady's (akaKate McLaughlin) book, My
Son, Beloved Stranger, we recommend you do so. (Just click
on the title to purchase it from Amazon.com) You may find that she
tells part of your story. (And, by the way, we've had the privilege of
meeting both the author and her son, who is, indeed, a very engaging and
likable Christian man.) We also encourage you to write to us if you have
more questions or disagree with anything you read. (Use the link in the
left margin, since we've had to remove direct email addresses because of
spam.)
 If you have just
discovered that a loved one is gay and need a quick orientation on
the subject of homosexuality, we recommend the FLASH presentation
written by a very talented young Adventist man on one of our
lists. You can
click here
or on the picture at the left to view it at the GLOW
web site. (You will need the Adobe Flas h player which you can
download by clicking on the icon at right.) A new window will open
for the silent flash movie, and this window will stay open.
In the Church
Leaders section you will find articles that
address spiritual issues surrounding homosexuality. In Inge's
Inklings, you will find some theological
issues addressed in depth -- such as an examination of the all references
to Sodom in the Bible. (Are you sure that
Sodom was destroyed for the sin of homosexuality? If you are, perhaps
you'd better read that article.) And in Ralph's
Ramblings, you will find the recorded
insight of a man experienced in crisis line counseling-- someone able to
recognize the signs of serious suicidal
intentions and to counsel how to deal with them.
Many of the Frequently
Asked Questions come from Family and Friends. Perhaps your
question has already been addressed. If not, feel free to write
to us. (Note that we've had to remove
all email addresses from the web site due to email harvesting by spam
bots. So please use our form which will generate an email that will be
mailed to us.)
In Our
Stories you will find some stories of Families and Friends of
lesbians and gays. (Not all are Adventist.) We are waiting for your story
to add to this list. It will help others who come after you to feel less
alone.
Having been indoctrinated
that "homosexuality is an abomination" and the worst of
sins, we are often devastated when a child, relative or friend
confesses to us that they are "gay." This is the time to
seriously consider
What is an Abomination
to God. This in-depth essay examines all the scriptural references
available, and it may help you put the homosexuality of your loved one in
perspective. And for those of us who usually have a strong urge to
"call sin by its right name," prayerfully reading Calling
Sin by Its Right Name and asking God for the eye salve of the Holy
Spirit to see as He sees can be very helpful.
Finally be sure to read
the Gay & Lesbian Stories.
There are more such stories on our inter-denominational sister site,
God's
Love - Our Witness. These personal
experiences will help you to understand those gays and lesbians close to
you. And it's much easier to demonstrate the love of God in our
relationships when we have a little bit of understanding, rather than just
feeling betrayed that they should dare to choose a homosexual lifestyle.
It may also help to understand that a homosexual orientation is not the
worst thing that could happen to your son or daughter, brother or sister.
There are worse things.
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